Helper

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhɛlpɚ/

Definitions

1. A person or thing that provides assistance or support to someone else in completing a task or achieving a goal
2. An individual or entity that renders aid or support to another in order to accomplish a task or reach an objective
3. A person or object that offers guidance or reinforcement to assist someone in fulfilling a duty or realizing an ambition

Etymology: Helper is about as transparent as English gets. It is the ordinary word "help" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, a pattern that goes back to Old English, where "helpere" meant someone who gave aid. Its ancestry is shared across the Germanic languages: German "Helfer", Dutch "helper", Swedish "hjälpare" and Danish "hjælper" all descend from the same Proto-West Germanic form, which was built the same way. The "-er" suffix did most of the work here. English has long been able to turn almost any verb into a word for the person who performs it, so "helper" needed no special coinage to describe anyone lending a hand. The noun passed into Middle English as "helpere" and kept its straightforward sense through the centuries that followed.

Synonyms: assistant, aide, supporter, facilitator, partner

Antonyms: hindrance, obstacle, opponent